Thank you for your interest in helping, Oly. Here is the organization I’ve been using — Sewa International USA. They have a few projects going on, including oxygen concentrators.

COVID India help

Thank you so much for this thread, great idea.

Nutsaboutplants, thanks for the referral to SEWA. I hadn't heard of them and just looked on Charity Navigator and they have a 4 out of 4 star rating as a charity. I probably wouldn't have found them, but for your recommendation.

Olychick, thank you. I'd been wondering this weekend where dollars to help might be put to best and most immediate use. Navigating some of these organizations and trying to determine how much is helpful and what goes to their overhead without reaching the people is intimidating if at all pressed for time. Following....

Also, do your part to end this pandemic by getting vaccinated!

It sickens me how many privileged Americans are refusing the vaccine while the virus is spreading and people are dying on the street in India.

Thank you, Oly. Thank you, nutsaboutplants.

Thank you so much for sharing this.

Thank you, Oly for thinking to post about this. And thank you, nutsaboutplants for the info about SEWA International. I had not heard of them before and was glad to see their rating.

If you follow chef Arti Sequeria on Instagram she has some great links. She’s from India.

Something to be aware of is that India is a major processor of many things that are then sent to other countries for finally processing including many other medicines beyond the Covid vaccines. This next year to year and a half if not longer may have shortages of many things. It would be so easy for the same thing that is currently happening in India and probably other countries that do not report to happen in the US. Their double mutation is not covered by the serum in any of the current vaccines. It is not the severity of the illness which could be handled if medical care is available it is the number of people with the illness that the medical system can not handle anywhere on this planet.

Thank you for the question and the recommendations.

@morz8 - Washington Coast not to detract from the thread intent but 'overhead' is not accurate - it's administration. This includes staff pay and training, resources, and infrastructure - all required to facilitate the movement of services and donor dollars to those in need. Charity rating systems were created to make donors feel as if they're informed, but you're not. Plus an average 'charity rating' application takes 20+ hours (let's say $500 - $800 of staff pay) to complete and another 5 hours each year to maintain. So when you, the donor, want to see a rating just know that your gift is being used to make that happen, but you can't turn around and say that you don't like 'too much overhead'.

My DD is very connected with India through her business and personally. I will be back with information.

Not sure if any of you have bought spices from Diaspora, but they do much of their business in that area and are invested in helping farmers keep their lands and improve both their futures and the quality of spices available. They are working to raise money for the COVID battle there as well. If you scroll down their main page, there are some links. I also received this list in an email -- they are offering discounts for those who donate, so it might be a nice time to get acquainted with them if you are not already.

Jen Kay, do you have any suggestions about how we can better check out a charity if not relying on places like Charity Navigator? When I was looking up some of these places, it did occur to me to wonder how the raters are funded, since they didn't charge for the info to consumers.

Thank you, Nuts! I donated to them and Doctors Without Borders, just for the medical expertise - but am unsure how many docs/nurses from other countries will be available during this worldwide catastrophe.

@nutsaboutplants - Efficacy and transparency vary greatly with an organization's mission, their length of tenure, who they perform their work, and how much they have to invest in their organization. CN and GS think they're quantifying it in 'stars' but you have to get to know the organization not just select it off the shelf. @Olychick - get to know the organization. Visit their website and social media to understand their voice and mission. Read their 990's (financial audits) and any annual reports they might have (not all non-profits have either) I don't donate to non-profits that practice donor-centrism; use client pictures without compensating them, their leadership (staff or Board) aren't diverse, their 990's do not reflect an investment in professional development; and if CEO isn't commensurate with staff pay.

Thanks, Jen...all great suggestions.

Jen, agree completely. That’s exactly what I do.